To Direct Concordia Publishing House to Eliminate Shipping Charges

WHEREAS, Concordia Publishing House (CPH) serves as the official publishing arm of the Synod, providing essential Lutheran resources, books, curricula, and materials to support the faith, teaching, and mission of congregations, church workers, and individual members; and

WHEREAS, CPH currently charges shipping fees on most orders, with limited exceptions such as free shipping for roster ed church workers on orders over $49, which can create financial barriers for smaller purchases by individuals, small congregations, or those in remote areas, potentially limiting access to vital confessional Lutheran materials; and

WHEREAS, In today’s competitive online retail market, many general book retailers offer free shipping to encourage customer loyalty and accessibility, demonstrating that low or no-cost shipping thresholds are standard practices that reduce friction in purchasing and boost overall sales volume; and

WHEREAS, Numerous Christian publishers and retailers have adopted similar shipping policies to CPH, such as Moody Publishers (free economy shipping on orders over $35, moody publishers.com/faqs), Lifeway (free standard shipping on qualifying orders over $100, life way.com/en/about/shipping- information), Hendrickson Publishers (free shipping on orders over $50, hendrickson publishers.com/faq), Tyndale House Publishers (free shipping on orders over $50, tyndale.com/faq), and Christian book (free shipping on orders over $50 with code, christian book.com), aligning their operations with market expectations to better serve their religious communities; and

WHEREAS, Eliminating shipping charges would position CPH as a leader among faith-based publishers by removing cost barriers entirely, making it more competitive than other Christian publishers and retailers, and encouraging broader dissemination of Synod- approved materials to foster evangelism, catechesis, and doctrinal unity, in keeping with the Synod’s mission to “vigorously make known the love of Christ by word and deed” (1998 Res. 1-01A, “To Adopt a Mission Statement for the Synod,” Proc., 101); and

WHEREAS, Past Synod conventions have successfully passed resolutions directing Synod-related entities to adjust operational practices for the benefit of the church body, such as resolutions on national witness, reaffirming evangelism resources and supporting small congregations (2019 Res. 1-01A, “To Encourage God’s People to Engage in Active Witness” and Res. 1-03, “To Study Shared Ministry among Small Congregations”) and resolutions on structure and administration, streamlining governance for efficiency (2023 Res. 9-01, “To Amend Bylaws to Provide Clarity for Cross-Circuit and Cross-District Multi-Congregation Parishes” and Res. 9-08A, “To Strengthen Nonvoting Advisory Delegate Participation at Conventions”), providing precedent for guiding CPH toward policies that enhance accessibility and afford ability;

therefore be it

Resolved, That the Synod in convention direct the CPH Board of Directors to implement a policy eliminating all shipping charges on domestic orders, regardless of order size, effective no later than Jan. 1, 2027; and be it further

Resolved, That CPH be encouraged to explore cost-recovery measures, such as modest price adjustments on high-volume items, if necessary, while maintaining overall afford ability to ensure the long-term sustainability of this policy in service to the Synod’s members and mission.